FOTL 2022 - Flipbook - Page 12
YACHATZ יַחַץ
Break off the Dessert Matzah
Hold up the middle matzah from the ceremonial matzah
plate. Break it in half. Put the smaller piece back, but
wrap the larger piece in a cloth or pouch and put it aside.
The seder table has a ceremonial plate
with three pieces of matzah. The middle
matzah on this plate has a special job.
Half of it will “hide” and come back later
as the last bite of our meal. Yachatz
(yah-CHATZ) means “split in two.”
The larger piece of this matzah will be
called the Afikoman (ah-fee-koeMAHN), an ancient Greek word that
means “after-dinner fun.” In a game
of hide-and-seek, adults will hide the
Afikoman and children will have to find it.
(In some families, the roles are reversed.)
This missing piece of matzah will be
tonight’s dessert. Keep a close eye on it
before it disappears! At the end of the
meal, you may get a prize for finding
the Afikoman.
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